Fireflies
by CaptainElf
Summary: After getting lost in a forest, Jane and Jester come across the strange phenomena of fireflies. Seems like a great time for a confession. Requested by jatd4ever.


**A/N: This is a prompt from Jatd4ever. I don't own JATD.**

 **Fireflies**

"Come, Jane!" Jester yelled, skipping a few steps in front of squire, "We should get out of this forest before nightfall!"

"Jester, I've told you – even if we ran this entire forest at full speed, we wouldn't make it out by nightfall. It's a two-day journey, were you even listening to me?" Jane trudged forward, adjusting the sack on her back.

"Yes, my love, I know. You did tell me, but I always dream, do I not?" Jester fell into step next to her, his own sack weighing him down. Jane had offered to carry it – she was used to carrying heavy things and, to be honest, they weren't that heavy. But Jester, the sod, wasn't used to it and she knew he'd be complaining that his back ached for days after this journey ended. She loved him – she had agreed to marry him after all – but that was one too much.

He'd also possibly skipped around the entire bloody day – hopping from tree to tree and butterfly to butterfly, curious and excited to see the outside world.

"It's already getting dark, Jester, we should find a place to camp." She said, looking around. She'd travelled through these woods more often than not, as part of her training and in journeys to the city and back (never had she made that journey with her current companion, though), and she didn't recognise anything.

Jane and her partner, Gunther, had marked a few paths when they were younger in order to find their way back. After a while they just knew the place, but this place wasn't marked nor did she recognise anything.

Then it dawned on her: she had no idea where they were (and Jester would certainly be no help, since he had the inner compass of a wheelbarrow), in other words – they were lost.

Jane couldn't believe it. She had let Jester distract her so much that she had stopped paying attention to where they were going! Now they would have to double back in an attempt to find the correct way home.

The redhead was panicking. She took a deep breath to calm herself – she had nothing to worry about. She was a fine lady with fine skills and a sword to match her wit, nothing could harm them.

"Jane?" Jester asked. He'd been speaking, and was already busy pitching their tent, "Now you're the one not listening."

"We're lost," She said, "We'll have to go back. But not right now, it's too dark and too unfamiliar, we'll just be late."

"What? You said you knew this forest!"

"I do! You just ran ahead of me, and I'm supposed to be the one leading this trip." She answered, crossing her arms.

"You have a voice, you know? Nothing stops you from yelling at me to stop being stupid, you've done it before!"

Jane threw her back down, and glared at him. "Don't blame only me for this, Jester. This is as much your fault as it is mine!"

Jester sighed, "True. I'm sorry."

"So am I. Now stop being stupid – the tent will drown if you don't put it up higher, and make a sand wall."

Moments later darkness had finally fallen and the two were huddled on a riverbed, near their tent, enjoying a meal of hunted rabbit.

"I'm scared," Jester confessed, "I've never really spent a night outside the castle walls."

"It takes some getting used to," Jane shrugged, "You hear crickets chirping, owls hooting, leaves rustling, water rushing… sometimes even a snake slithering, but the animals will never harm you."

"Why is that?"

"We're not bothering them. We are simply observers, Jester, in this magnificent world." She sighed dreamily. Just like that, the trees around them lit up. Jane smiled – this was one of the reason she liked staying in the forest, fireflies.

"J-Jane – what is that?" Jester asked, scared. He was pointing at the fireflies.

"That, my dear Jester, is the strange phenomenon known as fireflies." Jane smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder. "They won't hurt you. They just… light the way for idiots like us who get lost."

She glanced up at her jester, whose entire face had lit up. She'd thought he would enjoy this – he enjoyed things like these.

"I'm scared." The blond boy said again, his voice smaller this time.

"There's no need to be…" She started, but he cut her off.

"Of us. Of us not working out. Of us working out. Of us becoming enemies. Of us becoming estranged. I love you, Jane, you know that, and I want to marry you – but I'm scared of how we would change."

"We wouldn't, silly," She said gently, "We're two best friends who happen to want to marry one another. As long as we're honest and true – we should be fine."

Jester turned his head and pecked her on the forehead.

"Yes, we should." He agreed. "Come on, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow you will save our sorry hides and find the way home."

Jane smiled at the fireflies before climbing into the tent. Things had become lighter this night, and she was suddenly thankful that they'd gotten lost.

. . .


End file.
